The first-ever playoff game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers could be tough to top. Or perhaps it's just a taste of what's to come in their opening-round Sunshine State series.
The defending champion Lightning take a 1-0 lead into Game 2 Tuesday night (8 p.m. EDT, CNBC) in Sunrise, Florida. The intrastate foes — they've never really been rivals — have met 142 times in the regular season, including eight games this season.
But they'd never faced off in the playoffs until Sunday, when the Lightning won a physical, dramatic thriller, 5-4. “Very intense game," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said. “There was a lot going on out there.” Also trying to rally from 1-0 deficits at home Tuesday will be the Pittsburgh Penguins